I have recently returned from Phoenix, Arizona
where I presented some of my research on putting
at the World Scientific Congress of Golf.
Here, I have summarised some of my findings in
order to give you what I hope is valuable advice
as you look forward to a summer season. Time
to put in some quality putting practice – that’s if
you want to reduce your handicap!

10 ‘MUSTS’ FOR THE
START OF THE GOLFING SEASON...

1/ POSTURE

Standing correctly to the ball in good posture is at the
heart of my putting instruction – get this right and other
details fall more easily into place. Your goal at address
is to establish a posture that allows your shoulders and
torso to rock in a pendulum motion without any need
for excess hand action or other compensations (as these
won’t hold up under pressure). The ability to create a
stable posture and ‘pivot point’ is essential if the putter
is to be swung consistently from address, to the extent
of the backswing and back squarely through impact.

Looking from the ‘Ball to Target Line’, the first aim is
to have the top of your back flat and horizontal to the
ground; it is not a tilt from the hips but more from the
mid section of your back. Imagine a DVD case or even a
glass of water resting on this top section of your back.
This horizontal position allows your shoulders to rock on
a ‘square to square’ path through the impact area.

Your knees should be slightly flexed, with your weight
spread evenly between heels and toes. As a result, your
body is in a very efficient biomechanical position to create
the desired pendulum stroke; your posture is such
that it actively encourages the path of the putter to be
dictated by the shoulders and not the hands!
Finally, your grip. Check that an imaginary line can be
extended from the shaft of the putter all the way up
through your forearms. They should be in the same
plane. This will ensure that even the slightest wrist
break will not cause the putter face to rotate.

2/ NEW PUTTER GRIP

Investment in a new grip can make all the
difference in the world. I doubt if many of
you regularly change your putter
grip. Most amateurs overlook
the importance of a fresh
grip. So that’s my first
recommendation.
Then, double check
your grip pressure.

Don’t strangle the
putter. If you can see
the whites of the
knuckles when you take
your grip, you’re already
in trouble. Too much pressure
in the hands reduces the feel in
the forearms and shoulders; you end up with
a muscular ‘gridlock’. Squeeze the life out of
your grip and you effectively squeeze all the
feel and rhythm out of your stroke.

3/ GET CUSTOM FIT

The main issue I find with many amateur
golfers is that their putter isn’t fitted correctly,
they may have bought the latest model, borrowed
a putter from a friend, found one or
even looked through the second hand bin to
find the answer to putting success. As a result,
the golfer fits his or her posture around the
putter, rather than correctly fitting the putter
to their posture.

Would you play with irons that were too long
or too short? Or with the lie angle too upright
or too flat? Custom fitting for putters, in my
opinion, is lagging considerably behind that of
irons and drivers. This is something I believe
you have to get right in order to improve performance
on the greens. Check the ‘Heel’ and
‘Toe’ are level (as per the example above).

Ask
your club professional to adjust your putter. It
is simple to do, but I guarantee this will fasttrack
the improvements in your putting stroke
and knock shots of your score...

4/ PALMS TOGETHER

I believe the hands should “oppose” one another on the
grip. So I devised a grip that has the palms opposed and
that does not result in one hand being lower than the
other. When the right hand is lower than the left, the
danger is that the shoulders are skewed into a tilted
position and the spine angle sets up as it would if you
were playing a 7-iron. I like to see a player set up with
the shoulders square to the target line and with shoulder
joints approximately the same height and the spine
vertical. This grip, which I call, the “Palms Together”
grip, is formed by ‘sandwiching’ the handle with both
hands, opening the last three fingers on the right, then
placing both hands onto the grip, with the right’s last
three fingers wrapping over those of the left in the
crevices between fingers. (Note: the whole of the LEFT
hand is on the grip, this is the control hand, so it makes
sense to have the whole of the hand in contact with the
handle). It's a simple grip, with the benefit of reducing
the influence of any unwanted wrist action.

Experiment with the palms
together and left hand low.
Hit some putts. Setting up
with the level shoulders at
address, and then taking
the hands out of the
stroke, makes for a more
consistent action and a
natural release of the putter
through the ball

For me, the function of the grip is to monitor the
handle of the putter to make sure that your takeaway,
transition, downswing, impact and thru-stroke are performed
with a smooth tempo without jerkiness, abruptness,
or any snatching. If there is any unwanted movement,
the handle of the club will twist or move inside
your grip (especially if you use a thick grip!). Because I
like to use a free-fall gravity stroke by which the “triangle”
falls from the top of the backstroke by gravity, the
handle has a natural and smooth acceleration downward
that peaks right at the bottom of the stroke. There is
nothing you should be adding to the speed of the fall by
muscle action in the hands or arms or shoulders. The
main thought is for your hands to “ride” the handle as it
falls so you “feel” absolutely nothing in the hands. The
shoulder triangle must however, keep moving through
impact and not stop once contact with the ball is made.

In the left-hand low grip (or reverse-handed), the left
arm and wrist remain pretty stable throughout the
stroke and there is no powering with the left hand,
whereas in a traditional reverse overlap grip the right
hand has control of the thru-stroke. The powering
through of the right hand expresses itself sometimes as
left-wrist breakdown. Sometimes the left wrist stays
stable and the right hand sends the extra oomph up
through the left elbow. The chances of this occurring
are significantly reduced with the left-hand low grip.
The point of all this is that a ‘palms together grip’ and a
‘left-hand low grip’ are a lot closer to a “dead-hands”
shoulder stroke than a reverse overlap grip with righthand
power.

Try with palms together, sliding the left hand low, and
hit some putts. What differences do you feel? I would
encourage all players to have a try at left hand low,
especially if you are a junior. I do find that by taking the
hands out of the stroke, level shoulders at address, a
shoulder motion with ‘gravity’ accelerating are all
preferable for more accuracy and consistency on the
putting green. Give it a try…

5/ ENERGY TRANSFER

One of the keys to good speed control is the ability to deliver maximum
energy from the putter to the ball. It builds consistency. The
opposite is a stroke that is too long in the backswing, or too long
in the follow through. The maximum energy is therefore usually
somewhere other than the impact. The goal is to make an authoritative
stroke, hit the ball with maximum energy, and learn to stop
the putter from extending too far. Don't cramp yourself, but do
keep it compact. This will improve your tempo without trying.
Remember, good speed control prevents 3 putts!

6/ THROUGH THE GATE (TIGER DRILL)

Creating a ‘gate’ with a couple of tee pegs – and then running your
putter between them – makes for a terrific practice drill (Tiger is a
master at it, holing out 6-footers one after another using just his
right hand to control his stroke). The challenge is to return the
putter consistently through the gate so that you make solid contact
with the ball. Line up a 6-foot putt and repeat the drill ten
times. In order to control the pace of the putt it is vital that the
ball is struck consistently out of the sweet spot – and this drill will
help you to improve that element of your putting.

Creating a gate
that is just wide
enough for your
putter to swing
through places
the emphasis on
the consistency
of your stroke;
the coin drill,
meanwhile below, is a
test of your focus
as you hit putts –
the key being to
look for and ‘see’
the edge of the
coin immediately
after the ball is
struck (i.e. no
peeking up at the
hole!)

7/ COIN DRILL

As per the photos you see here (left), the coin drill sets up a good
focus exercise that will help you to keep the head steady through
impact. Place a coin on the green just behind the ball, so that
when you set up you can just see the edge of the coin protruding
beneath the leading edge of the putter face. The challenge is to
focus on seeing that coin through impact and after – focus on the
writing on the coin or ball marker – only when you have registered
that can you allow your eyes to follow the ball to the hole.

8/ PACE CONTROL

Putting to a tee-peg in the green is another very simple exercise
that quickly sharpens your feel and control. The goal is to nestle
each ball against the tee, or within just a few inches, just like
playing ‘bowls’. Putting to a tee eliminates the pressure that often
comes from being fixated on holing a short putt. You will actually
find out what it is like to putt with a good rhythm. Hit ten putts.
How many can finish within the 6 inch circle?

9/ PUTT TO THE FRINGE

Putting balls to the fringe of the green invites instinct to take
over – how close can you nestle the ball to the fringe without the
ball actually touching the edge? Take one ball and putt from all
angles across your putting green – by the time you head for the 1st
tee you should be totally in-tune with the speed of the greens.

10/ PRACTICE!

The more often you go out and practise the drills highlighted in
this feature, the better the putter you will become. Just remember
that when practising before a tournament or club competition,
your focus should be purely on holing out for confidence and speed
control to eliminate three-putt greens. It’s time to go and play...

Reproduced with kind permission of Golf International Magazine

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